Bottle-stopper



(N o Model.)

. M. s. OAHILL.

I BOTTLE STOPPER. No. 370,045. Patented Sept. 20, 1887.

'WITNEESEE I INVENTUR 470M- ?QMgW/M, v

- UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

MILES S. CAHILL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,045, dated September 20, 1887.

Application filed March 15, 1884.

To It whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MILEs S. CAHILL, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Bottle-Stoppers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents in elevation a bottle having one of my improved stoppers, and Fig. 2 is a view representing the construction of the stopper and its relation to the neck of a bottle when in place.

My invention is especially applicable for use in connection with bottles the contents ofwhich are to be distributed or used from time to time by means of a sponge or brush supported by a wire or other device-such, for instance, as liquid polish for boots and shoes; and the object of the invention is to provide a large convenient knob, cap, or handle as a means for easily removing the cork from the bottle without breaking it and a device which shall permit of the application ofthe contents of the bottle by the sponge withoutsoiling the fingers.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a bottle for containing alma polish, so called. a is the cork which closes it. b is the sponge which is carried or supported by a wire, a. This wire penetrates through the cork and is turned down to hook into the upper or top portion thereof, as represented in Fig. 2. d is a wooden (or other similar material) cap, capsule, or covering or knob. This cap or capsule covering or knob has a hole, d, for receiving the upper portion of the cork. It is of sufficient depth to receive as much of the upper portion of the cork as it will be necessary at any time to inclose, and the cork is so placed in this capsule that when in the bottle the lower edge, d of the cap or capsule will come in contact or very nearly come in contact with the upper surface of the neck of the bottle.

To provide for the ready insertion of the cork I enlarge the entrance to the hole d in the cap, capsule, or knob by cutting away the edge to form the bevel d, and in some instances the cork is cemented to the cap, capsule, or knob when a tight fit of the cork cannot be obtained by its compression; but in other cases, where Serial No. 124,278. (No model.)

a tight fit is not necessary,it is not, as the cork can be pressedsufficiently to enable its elasticity or expansion to hold it in the hole in the capsule or knob. If the end of an ordinary cork, which has a wire extending through it, is not covered, the liquid in the bottle will follow the wire in the cork and leak through the upper part thereof, and this is liable to happen both when the bottle is not in use, if it should be turned upside down, and when the stopper is used in applying the contents of the bottle; but by covering the end of the stopper with the cap or capsule the wire may be extended through the cork and a good hold thereof obtained therein, because the contents of the bottle cannot escape therefrom in the manner indicated. It will also be observed that the wire is more firmly fastened into the cork than if no cap or capsule were used, because the knob, cap, or capsule prevents the wire from being pushed out from the cork. It will also be seen that the knob, cap, or capsule is of great value in removing the cork from the bottle, because its lower edge, upon bending or turning the knob, cap, or capsule lat erally, bears upon the uppersurface of the neck of the bottle and acts as a fulcrum, and thereby converts the knob, cap, or capsule into a lever and renders the removal of the cork not only more easy, but also insures it from being broken or otherwise injured. Moreover, by extending the capsule, cap, or knob about the upper part of the cork, as shown, this section of the cork is strengthened, and cannot be broken off by any ordinary wrenching. It will also be seen that there is a recess between the under or lower edge of the capsule or cap and the cork, which receives any dripping of the contents of the bottle from the cork or sponge and prevents it from reaching the ex terior of the knob, cap, or capsule; and this recess may well be called a drip-receiving channel or recess.

In practice I have found that a very good way of applying the capsule to the cork is to first press the cork well into the bottle and then press the capsule, cap, or knob upon the cork, as by this means the lower edge of the capsule, cap, or knob can always be brought into proper position in relation to the upper edge of the bottle. It will be no- ICC ticed that the use of this capsule or knob gives to the stopper and bottle a very neat, uniform, and ornamental appearance and finish, and that being applied so that its lower edge shall substantially come in contact with the upper surface of the neck of the bottle it is of great value in packing bottles in cartons or other boxes, because the capsules being of a uniform height enables me to make a box so nicely fitted to the height of the bottle that when the bottle is in place in the box the top of the capsule will come in contact with the under surface of the cover, thereby preventing any movement of the bottle-within the carton or box. When this capsule is not used, this result cannot be attained, because corks cannot be so inserted as to leave a certain given portion or length extending upward from the upper surface of the neck of the bottle. This is owing, principally, to the fact that holes in the necks of bottles are not of uniform size, and that while the corks may be of uniform size, as the holes in which they are placed are not, some are inserted a greater distance than others.

I am aware of Patents Nos. 267,397 and 273,444, granted S. M, Bixby, and of the bottle-stoppers therein described; but as I use a capsule which does not add materially to the length of the stopper, and which has a recess of sufficient depth to provide adjustment in relation to the stopper, and which takes hold of the side of the stopper and is not fastened to the stopper by a wire driven-therein, and as it possesses other advantages which are not found in the Bixby stoppers, I consider that the said patents do not show or describe the spirit of my invention. I

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A stopper for a blacking or other bottle, comprising a cork supporting a wire carrying an absorbent material and incased by a cap of wood, which cap embraces or holds the side of the cork and has a drip-receiving channel or recess in its under edge, all substantially as and for the purposes described.

-2. A stopper for a bottle, comprising awooden capsule having an edge adapted to rest upon the upper surface of the bottle and provided with a deep cork-receiving cavity and a channel .within its outer lower edge, a cork inserted in said cavity to or very nearly to its inner end, whereby it is held and sustained, a wire extending into said cork and permanently attached thereto and adapted to extend therefrom, and a sponge secured to the outwardly-extending end of said wire, all as and for the purposes specified.

v MILES S. OAHILL.

Witnesses:

F. F. RAYMOND, 2d,

FRED. B. DOLAN. 

